AAP suspends MLA who accused party leaders of ‘exploiting women’

New Delhi: Cracking the whip on dissidents, AAP on Monday suspended its MLA Devinder Sehrawat from the primary membership of the party after he accused party men in Punjab of “exploiting women” in return for tickets. He is the second legislator to face such an action in less than 10 days.

The action against Sehrawat came after he also made direct attacks on AAP’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The suspension of Bijaswan MLA came after Kejriwal returned to Delhi wrapping up his four-day visit to poll-bound Punjab.

Hitting back, Sehrawat dared the party leadership to expel him. “If you have the courage, severe the ties and expel. With 67 MLAs you could not perform, You dont have it in you- So Get out of the Way….(sic),” he tweeted.

Earlier in the day, he accused Kejriwal of shielding his coterie. “Repeated Reports of Molestation of women and sexual abuse, Ring Master Kejriwal obliging his lecherous coterie & adding more such candidates (sic),” he said on Twitter.

Last week, Sehrawat had written to Kejriwal over alleged exploitation of women by a few party men in Punjab.

In the letter, Sherawat had also criticised party leader Ashutosh who had sought to defend Sandeep Kumar, sacked as a Delhi minister over an “objectionable” CD, and alleged that a “coterie” was damaging AAP.

Following his allegations, AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak also filed a defamation case against Seharwat.

Earlier, AAP’s women wing in Punjab had also filed a complaint with the State Women Commission against Sehrawat, alleging he was defaming the women in the state.

The Bijwasan MLA, who had questioned the way Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were sacked from the party, was known to have been unhappy with the organisation ever since.

AAP had last week suspended Sandeep Kumar from its primary membership over an alleged sex scandal.

The party has taken a conscious decision to suspend its lawmakers rather than expelling them as it would mean increasing the opposition seats at the cost of AAP.